Gas separator



June 28, 1949.

E. S. MARSH GAS SEPARATOR 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Feb. 9, 1946 INVENTOR. 191911" laks/1 @Trap/vir E. s. MARSH G'AS SEPARATOR Jung 28, 1949.

2. Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb.' 9, 194e;A

Patented June 28, 1949 2,474,540 GAS *SEPARTR Earle S.. Marsh, Temple City, Calif., assignor to lhelFluororporation, Ltd.,.-I:os-1A1 igeles,lCalil.,4 a corporation f ".Glifornia 3 Claims.

This invention has --to dowwithfgas separators ...or scrubbers,..and has rfor its'fgeneralobjects to lprovide ,any ,improved form rof separator, r whereby ,it is possible :to f, obtain maximum men'trainrnem'. removal usinglanovelfiormof .unit characterized ',-by ,its,-separatingmeiciency, structural practicalbility Aand resistance -vto -attack gby corrosive `or chemically active tgases. ,More particularly, tthe invention .relates .-to improvements yin separators L0f the; multiple. baille type,` and .in Wl'rlch;y the crm and r`arrangementof the .bailles sub-jects ,thexgas to .multiple direction v.iloweat .chan-ging -velocities and Lto impingement against liquideremoving `suriffaces,tofstheloailles.

\ .One Y major Vobj ectolf the invention `is ,to -malte important improvements-iin the composition; surface condition and manufacture of the ,individual yhaines. ,In this ...connection uit 1- may be @mentioned that .broadly-considered, :the invention Y,isznot to )be regarded. asflimite'd n to.-the formation or use of baffles ,having any ,particular r4torni or g-arrangement, although Lfor purposes of-,description lref- -erenceis A had hereinafter to la. gparticular Ubale shape and l.arrarigement that .has gi-ven zlhighly satis'factoryresults.

The vrinvention departs ,from thev conventional ,type `of, separator fbyiorming :the `loaiiles` ofmetals particularly resistant to :attackrand disintegration-lay.suchagents as .fthe acidic orrjfalkalinezcon- .stituents. of corrosive gases. .Preferred metals are aluminum or .-alurninumalioys wher-e racid A,gases .areencountered andebrassaalloy compositions Wheretheflbafes :are to resist attack by alkaline gases. A particular feature is the-formation ofthe bams-elements :by aextrusionfof the ymetalfariclV the fformationrin the-baille surfacesooi )irregularities Whiclfi `rnaterially increase-the effecvtivesu-rtace .area. of :the baille, and l therefore its capacity-.to retain liquid. @ne methodoffso .2increasing the zbaie-surtace ear-eaistolformpin :the extrusion ;process,pirregu.-larities .finthe Aform `of `closely arrangedfgrooVes` orvrecessestextending- .in thad-irection"ofsthefextrusion. :ltsisfalso contemplated `ythat .the .baille :surface areal `'may be .iur-

ther increased by therformationzoirm'ore.localized :irregular-ities, `as-loy: sand-.blasting vfthe :combinationof `therextrusioneformedgrooves andjlpitted surface resulting yfrom i :sand-blasinggiving 'the Jjliaille a total: surface ,area :increased/tesa .',Lde'gree that it becomes :highly :retentive fof `liquid ude- ,i

posited non it.

@f particular 5 importance isf the fuse'. of. f aluminum or aluminum yalloys as *the baille-forming material in separators for such `ilu-ids :as ,thatN uralegas. fAs ral/,means ,bf einereasing thefnormal resistance :of fthe @aluminum .base :baille -to :corfrcsionfor attack, .lande o present anty abnormally hardesurface,'the'bamemaywbe surface {liar-deman` byw'any- :of the :customary methods employed -rfor aluminum; and, itsl alloys. As'- Willfbeennderstood, when anod-ized,i^\the/rhaillefsurlaoe loecomesfhard- .ened fto .a degree felectivelyeresisting :physical Wear :or erosion @bj-y high welocityggases, rand fat'- ltack .or A'chemical reaction fwithocorrosive con- =rstituents1iof -ftheigas A further object of the invention fis tfto.;.pr.ovide .improvements in `ineai'is ffor maintaining "dine baillesein accurately fspaced -relaton.and a ,plate arrangement for @retaining xthe=loaies fas a unit fcapableof I easyfas'sembly ands-disassembly.

All -'the- @aforementioned features and objects -Wfill :be understooiwto better aduantagef lfrom `the following@description-nitric.faccompanyingfdrawings illustrative fof the rivention-infa typical fand preferred eform. ,.Inafthefclrawings:

=flig. f1 is Vaflront. lerationvoffthexbaflleunit;

.-fEig lillois 'ia gperspeotive exploded sview illusftrating ,the farrangment sand inter-tting relati'onshipsof y the ,baffles fautif-retaining plates; :and K :Eign lfisi-alf-rfagmentaryvfiew showing the sur- -tace -irregularities in nthesbaille.

30 The draw-ingsshowea unitized assemblyofthe flballle element-s fandfretaining .fplat;es, which aszwill fbe understood,rmayrbefinstalled Ain asuitable for-m :shell yfor Avessel' tli'rloiugh'which a-gas -is passed .for liquidfext-ractioneby th'ewbale unit. :Various structuralrarrangements of baille mnits Within shellsor Vpressure @vessels rare :Well-known .and merecer-require noaspeoicadescription or illustrattion.

Thesseparator-funit, :generally indicated-at l0, y:comprises ian assemble7 of :a'individual ,baffles H which in the broad aspects of the invention may havelany of vari-ousfspecic shapes requiring the gas fpassing throl-igh@theassembly', to be s1-1bjected to tortuous Vor-multi,directional ,-ow, and to impinggeinent lagainst :the '-.lhale surfaces `to effect L:precipitation of {liquidsfentrainment which vdeposits-on fandgdrainsrfromthe baffles. Typi- `-cally .!the findiihidualsbailles lil are Y.shown toi-have `-central .web p-portions;y :lf2 Yextending -fin the general .rdire ction -oflthegas-films! indicated by'l thearrows,

and transverse portions 1:3 :havin-gend -:anges f--M `turned against :theo-.direction of pgas 'ow, to formxfas zintegralypart's :'ofaeach web i12-,ifa plurality of uniformly spaced Fileshapedfheads. Asxillus- .b5 mated, these EE-@heads are :arranged :fin offset relation and are spaced at I5 from the adjacent webs I2 to form relatively narrow gas passages of small cross-sectional area as compared with the transverse area of the spaces I6 between the webs. Accurately uniform and predetermined spacing-s are maintained at I5 by forming on the webs I2, projections or nodules I'I engaged against certain of the flanges I4. Thus when assembled, the individual baliles are brought together transversely to bring all the projections Il into engagement with the adjacent anges I4, so that uniformity of spacing, and therefore of gas ow between the lbaies, exists throughout the entire assembly.

As indicated by the arrows, the gas entering spaces I8 and I9 ows through the restricted spaces I5 to be projected at high velocity against the surfaces 2li of the baffle heads, the high velocity gas impingement against the surfaces tending to cause liquid particles, by virtue of their greater inertia, to deposit on the surfaces and collect in the corners 2| and 22, thence to drain to the bottom of the baffles. After impingement against surfaces 28,*the gas streams reverse their direction of flow'in passing to the next series of openings I5, and the described effects are continued as the gas iiow progresses through the unit. The entrainment removing eiciency of the baille arrangement is such-that upon leaving the unit the gas will be substantially completely free of liquid particles.

Referring to Fig. 4, the baille assembly is interlocked, top and bottom and also at the sides, between retaining plates 23 and 24 to produce a unit characterized by its ease of assembly and disassembly, and adaptability for installation in a separator shell or vessel. The baille engaging surfaces of the plates 23 each has formed thereon a rib 25 to be received within the alined notches 25 in the top and bottom edges of the baffles, to hold the baffles in xed relation against movement in the direction of the webs I2. The baffle assembly is confined at the sides by plates 2l each containing a pair of grooves 28 within one of which is received the tongue or rib 29 on the outside ballles Ila. When an uneven number of the baffles II are contained between the side baies Ila, ribs 29 will be received within the forward recesses 28 as viewed in Fig. 3, and when the intervening baffles II are even in number, ribs 29 will be received within the rear recesses 28 and vanother set of the notches 26 in the ends of the baffles, brought into alinement to receive the ribs 25. The top and bottom edges of plates 2 are received within grooves 30 in the baffleengaging faces of plates 23. Thus reception of the side plates within groovesr 30 interlocks the assembly laterally. Vertical interlocking is accomplished by tie bolts 3| extendingv between the baffles as illustrated in Fig. 3, andthrough holes 32 in plates 23.

The baffles I I and IIa are formed as extrusions, i. e. the metal is extruded through dies to form the baflies in the shapes illustrated. Likewise it is found advantageous to form the retaining plates 23 and 2'! by extrusion of metal having the same composition as the baliles. Since it may be economical to cut all the retaining plates from the same extruded strip material or stock, all the plates are shown to have the same cross-sectional configuration, it being understood that for the purposes of plates 21, the ribs 25 have no function, and no functional purpose is served by the recesses 28 in plates 23.

As previously indicated, the baflies II and IIa are provided with surface irregularities, formed either or both in the extrusion operation and by sand-blasting. As illustrated in Fig. 5, the baille surfaces have small grooves 33, preferably edgeto-edge, extending longitudinally of the baille and formed in its surface as the baille metal is extruded through the die. Typically, the grooves 33 may be V-shaped in cross-section and individually about es inch in width. The resulting irregularization of the baffle surface considerably lincreases its area and the capacity of the surface to retain moisture deposited on it. Preferably, all surfaces of the baies (including the inside of the flange surfaces 34) against which the gas is impinged, and including the back surfaces 35 and the surfaces of the webs I2, except at the recesses I5, are irregularized by the described closely spaced, longitudinal grooves.

By sand-blasting all surfaces of the baffles, the effective areas of the surfaces are further and materially increased to bring the total area in correspondence with the increases effected by both the grooves and localized depressions or pitted areas formed by the sand-blasting. Tests have demonstrated a marked tendency for deposited liquid p-articles to lm the surfaces so prepared, and to be effectively retained against tendency for re-entrainment into the gas stream.

Finally, where the baflles are formed for example of aluminum, or an alloy susceptible of surface hardening, for maximum resistance to attack by corrosive gases the extruded baffles and plates may be anodized or alumilited by any of the known methods to give the baies and plates locally hardened surfaces highly resistant to fluid erosion and chemical attack.

I claim:

1. A gas separator comprising a plurality of individual vertically extending baffles nested in side by side relationship to present a pair of outer baffles with the others retained therebetween, a pair of spaced vertical side plates disposed adjacent and parallel to the outer of said baffles and engaging said outer baffles to thereby retain all lof the baffles in side by side intertting relation,

a pair of spaced horizontal top and bottom plates for vertically retaining said bales, spaced grooves in each of said top and bottom plates for the reception of the upper and lower extremities of 'said side plates to retain said side plates in their assembled positions, and projections on said baliies for maintaining them in horizontally spaced positions to permit passage of gas therebetween.

2. A gas separator comprising a plurality of individual vertically extending baffles nested in side by side relationship to present a pair of outer baffles with the others retained therebetween, a pair of spaced vertical side plates disposed adja- Vcent and parallel to the outer of said baflies to retain the baflies in side by side interiitting relation, a pair of spaced horizontal top and bottom plates for vertically retaining said baffles, transversely aligned notches inthe upper and lower ends of said baies, a transverse rib across each of said top and bottom plates to engage said notches and prevent horizontal displacement of said baffles, and projections on said baiiies for maintaining them in horizontally spaced positions to permit passage of gas therebetween.

3. A gas separator comprising a plurality of individual vertically extending baffles nested in side by side relationship to present a pair of outer baiiles with the others retained therebetween, a pair of spaced vertical side plates dis- 5 posed adjacent the outer two of said bales and parallel thereto to retain all of said baffles in side by side interfltting relation, a vertical rib on the outer surface of each of the said outer bales, a vertical groove in the inner surface of each side plate to engage the rib of the adjacent baille, a pair of spaced horizontal top and bottom plates for vertically retaining said baies, spaced grooves in each of said top and bottom plates for the reception of the upper and lower extremities of said side plates to retain said side plates in their assembled positions, transversely aligned notches `in the upper and lower ends of said bales, a transverse rib across each of said top and bottom plates to engage said notches and prevent horizontal displacement of said baffles, and tie bolts interconnecting the top and bottom plates to lock all the plates and baffles in assembled relation.

EARLE S. MARSH.

6 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 259,029 Marchant June 6, 1882 796,231 Lloyd Aug. y1, 1905 1,289,439 Glassford Dec. 31, 1918 1,381,767 Tracy June 14, 1921 1,501,559 Kaup July 15, 1924 1,794,115 Klaff Feb. 24, 1931 1,897,727 Hughes et al Feb. 14, 1933 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 222,778 Germany June 4, 1910 551,685 Germany June 1, 1933 

